Public Safety

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Milwaukie - Phone service will alert citizens to emergencies

Milwaukie has subscribed to a high-speed, Internet-based telephone service that will alert residents to emergencies.

The CodeRED Emergency Notification System will disseminate pre-recorded messages about power failures, missing persons, fires or floods, and other threats to public safety.

The system, a subscriber-based service sold by the Emergency Communications Network of Ormond Beach, Fla., is already used in Oregon City and Lake Oswego. It can make as many as 60,000 calls an hour.

According to a statement from the Milwaukie police, the system automatically includes most residential phone numbers, but businesses, residents with unlisted or new numbers, and cell phone users can register their numbers and addresses at the city's Web site, www.ci.milwaukie.or.us, or by calling the Milwaukie Police Department at 503-786-7406.